ROBERT Segal makes a few valid points, one of which is that capitalism generally has improved the lives of many people in the world.

However, as a Socialist, I believe capitalism is now a fetter on production and stops many people in the world from having basic human needs.

For example, the richest 225 people in world have one trillion dollars in wealth - just four per cent of that amount spent on clean water, sewage, education and food could end the unnecessary deaths of so many people in the world. In 2005 one trillion dollars was spent on military might alone.

Robert Segal's point about Russia and Eastern Europe preferring capitalism to social-ism presupposes that socialism had been tried in those countries. In fact socialism has never existed anywhere they might call themselves socialist but if they have a wages system then they are state capitalist.

Socialism is common ownership of wealth in society with no money. People put in according to ability and take according to need. It is a classless society without the need for the artificial scarcity which capitalism causes.

At the end of his letter Mr Segal asks are Robert Mugabe and Kim ll Sung capitalist? The answer is yes they are, although they are more dictatorial than the democracy we have in the west.

Capitalism is now causing so many problems because of the very nature of the system. It is time to move over to a system in which we all contribute to solving the human needs which are presently going unmet.

Mr D McLellan, Lancaster.